Give Me a Hand
In Jurassic Park computer animators took fossil skeletons and brought them to life with terrifying results! Can you do the same thing with your own hand? Here are three animation problems that computers can solve.
- You will need: a photocopier, a pencil, paper, a latex or tight-fitting glove, small pieces of cardboard, scissors, paper clips, and masking tape.
- Try making a photocopy of your hand. Compare the copy to your real hand. Write down everything that's the same and different between the two. What would you need to do to the photocopy to make it more like the real hand?
- Draw a picture of a small part of your hand (only about 2 square inches), putting in as much detail as possible.
- Put a latex or tight-fitting glove on one hand. Lay the gloved hand on the table without moving it. What surface features are missing to make your hand look real? Compare it to your drawing.
- How does a real hand move?
- Use small pieces of cardboard, scissors, paper clips, and masking tape to build your own hand skeleton. Cut the bones out of cardboard. Connect the bones by taping each end of an unfolded paper clip to each bone so that they can move.
- Write a story about a hand using the photocopy hand, the gloved hand, and the movable skeleton. Act out your story for your friends.
- Which hand did you use in which scene? Why did you choose the one you did?
Curious for an answer? Look Behind the Scenes.
Special Effects Home | All About Special Effects
Theater Release Dates | Behind the Scenes